For me, interest and attitude to the surrounding world (let's say, geography) is often associated with fiction. One example is my deep sympathy for Wales, the birthplace of Arthur Llewellyn Machen, one of my favorite writers. Moreover, he was not only born there, but also wrote a lot about Wales, its ancient traditions, nature, people.

However, it so happened that Wales has long been under the rule of the state, which is now often (and on its own initiative) referred to as the faceless abbreviation U.K. In the Middle Ages, it was England, and it was to her, to this state and the mentality of its organizers, that the words from Machen's novel "Secret Glory" are addressed:

"He [the protagonist] remembered his father's oft-repeated exclamation, 'cythrawl Sais!' (“Damn the Saxons!”), but he understood that these words did not curse the English at all as such, but Anglo-Saxonism - that power of persuasion that builds Manchester, “does business”, creates a general split, a representative parliament, falsifications, outskirts and the Private School System. His father taught him that this is the worldview of the "master of the world", a worldview that is convenient for gaining comfort, success, a decent bank account, universal worship, a reasonable and real victory ... ".

I fully share this opinion. And I really hope that someday, Wales will get rid of communication with this state. As I figuratively call it, the Red Dragon I-Ddraig Goh will be released.

History of the Red Dragon of Wales

The Red Dragon is the symbol of Wales, present on its national flag:

For the first time, the Welsh Dragon is mentioned in the Mabinogion (a medieval collection of Welsh stories): in the story “Llid and Llewelis” about King Llid and his brother, the French King Llewelis, who rid Britain of the constantly fighting Red and White Dragons. According to the legend, the Kings ordered to dig a hole and fill it with honey (apparently with a hypnotic effect). When the Dragons, pecking at the bait, got drunk and fell asleep, their bodies were wrapped in canvas, and the pit was covered with earth.

Some time later, King Vortigern decided to build the fortress of Dinas Emrys (later Ambrose's Fortress in Snowdonia) on this site. But the walls erected during the day are destroyed every night. To get rid of evil spells, the King is advised to sacrifice a boy born without a father. This child turns out to be Ambrose Aurelian, Vortigern's successor and possible prototype for the legendary King Arthur. However, Ambrose tells Vortigern that the cause of the construction's failures is actually an underground lake where two militant dragons are buried. When, by order of the King, the earth was excavated there, two dragons really escaped from there, which immediately began to fight, and the Red defeated the White:

As Ambrose explained this to King, the underground lake personifies the image of the world, where the red dragon is the people of Vortigern, and the white one is the people who captured many areas in Britain and subjugated many of the peoples living in it, in this case the Saxons.

Uther Pendragon and the Kingdom of Gwynedd

According to Nenya's History of the Britons (9th century), the victory of the Red Dragon foreshadowed the coming of Uther Pendragon:

Uther Pendragon (Wthyr Bendragon, Uthr Bendragon, Uthyr Pendraeg) is the legendary King of the Britons, father of King Arthur. Uther's name means "terrible"; the epithet "Pendragon" Geoffrey of Monmouth translated as "dragon's head". Otherwise - the "main dragon", that is, the "warlord" ("pen" is consonant with the world "pan, ban" = "master"). In the "History of the Kings of Britain" by Geoffrey of Monmouth (XII century), the boy who revealed the secret of sleeping dragons was Merlin himself, and the Red Dragon also prophesied the coming of King Arthur (according to the text: a boar from Cornubia). In the same book, I-Draig Goh is the Dragon of the legendary King Cadwaladr Vendigayd ap Cadwallon, ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd from 655 to 682.

The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Teyrnas Gwynedd) is one of the Celtic Kingdoms of medieval Wales, in the northwest of the country:

The rulers of Gwynedd have traditionally played a leading role among the Welsh sovereigns. The geographical features of this remote mountainous area prevented the Kings of England from effectively pursuing an aggressive policy. Unfortunately, this factor was not enough for Wales to defend independence.

Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales

The rule of the United Kingdom deprived Wales of a lot: the traditions of the country, religion (original Christianity) were abandoned, the language was almost forgotten. In the second half of the 20th century, some progress began towards the revival of national sovereignty. By the way, now Wales is not represented in the coat of arms of Great Britain in any way (this, in my opinion, is quite an indicative fact); he was on it only under the Tudor dynasty as one of the holders. The Red Dragon is present on the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales, and even then not on the central shield:

On the central shield there is the coat of arms of the Principality of Wales: four leopards (a symbol for the figure of a marching lion, turning its face towards the viewer) with azure weapons (claws and tongue). It was the personal symbol of Llywelyn the Great, ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in the first half of the 13th century and de facto almost all of Wales:

Since 2008 this image has been the Royal Badge of Wales:

The shield is bordered by a green ribbon, on which is placed the motto Pleidiol Wyf I'm Gwlad ("I am true to my country"), a line from the Welsh anthem. The sign is crowned with the crown of St. Edward. Around the sign there is a wreath of heraldic plants of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom: Wales (leek), Scotland (thistle), Ireland (shamrocks), England (double Tudor rose).

Red Dragon in the Royal Badge of Wales

I do not like the previous version at all, since it symbolizes the entry of Wales into the state of Great Britain. But he has a second option, and the Red Dragon appears in it:

Since 1953, the Red Dragon has been framed with a garter with the words Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn ("The Red Dragon inspires action"). This badge is also surmounted by the crown of Saint Edward. Legislatively, the Red Dragon was adopted as the symbol of Wales only in 1959. By the way, the English national "hero" Winston Churchill spoke of this sign extremely dismissively. The more valuable it is in my eyes.

Geography

Wales is located in the west of the island of Great Britain, washed from the west and north by the Irish Sea (Irish Sea - Môr Iwerddon, St. George "s Channel), from the south by the mouth of the Severn River (Bristol Channel). From the east, its border is determined by the administrative division of the United Kingdom. Most of the territory of Wales is occupied by various mountain ranges, of which the main one is the Cambrian Mountains with the highest points of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) - 1085 m above sea level, Cadair Idris - 892 m and Plinlimon (Plynlimon) – 752 m. at a height of 886 m above sea level.Along the border with England there are a number of minor hills: Berwin Mountains (Berwin Mountains), Beacon Hill (Beacon Hill), Radnor Forest (Radnor Forest) and others. the island of Anglesey (Anglesey - Ynys Môn), in the Glamorgan Valley and on the Gower Peninsula (Gower - Gŵyr) in the south and in the extreme south-west, in Pembrokeshire (Pemrokeshire - Sir Benfro).

Wales is open to winds from the Atlantic Ocean, so the climate there has pronounced features of the sea. Its coastline is almost a regular semicircle, bounded from the north by the Llyn Peninsula (Lleyn - Llŷn), and from the south by a large peninsula ending in the southwest with Cape St. David (St. David's Head - Penmaen Dewi). Up to 1270 mm of precipitation falls per year on the west coast, although to the east of the mountains these figures are somewhat lower (up to 723 mm / year), and in the mountains themselves - higher (up to 2540 mm/year) The average temperature in July is 15.6°C, in January - 5.6°C.

Most of Wales used to be covered with forests, but now a significant part of them has been reduced. Nevertheless, Wales will remain one of the most beautiful regions of the UK - almost a quarter of its territory has been declared a national park (Snowdonia (Eryri), Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire coast (Arfordir Penfro)) or an area of ​​outstanding natural beauty.

Basic information

Power

• Capital: Cardiff - Cardiff - Caerdydd (since 1955)
• Official language: English. The Welsh Language Act gives the Welsh language equal rights with English in all areas of public life in Wales.
• Administrative divisions (after 1996):
  • Gwynedd - Gwynedd
  • Anglesey - Sir Ynys Môn
  • Conwy - Conwy
  • Denbighshire - Sir Ddinbych
  • Flintshire - Sir y Flint
  • Wrexham - Wrexham - Wrecsam
  • Powys - Powys
  • Ceredigion (Cardiganshire) - Wikiwand Sir Ceredigion
  • Pembrokeshire - Wikiwand Pemrokeshire - Sir Benfro
  • Carmarthenshire - Sir Gaerfyrddin - Carmarthenshire
  • Swansea - Swansea - Abertawe
  • Neath Port Talbot - Castell-Nedd Port Talbot
  • Bridgend - Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr
  • Rhondda Cynon Taff - Rhondda Cynon Taff - Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • Glamorgan - The Vale of Glamorgan - Bro Morgannwg
  • Merthyr Tydfil - Merthyr Tydfil - Merthyr Tudful
  • Caerphilly - Caerphilly - Caerffili
  • Cardiff - Cardiff - Caerdydd
  • Newport - Newport - Casnewydd
  • Blaenau Gwent - Blaenau Gwent
  • Monmouthshire - Monmouthshire - Sir Fynwy
  • Torvain - Torfaen
• Authorities: National Assembly for Wales - Cynulliad Genedlaethol Cymru. In London, the Wales Office (Swyddfa Cymru), headed by the State Secretary for Wales, is responsible for Wales.

Symbolism

• The Wales flag looks like this:

  The dragon has been used in Britain since Roman times. Initially, it was depicted on the banners of Roman cohorts (but not legions!), and in post-Roman times it was used not only by the Britons, but also by the Saxons and Scots, although the red dragon seems to be a specifically Briton symbol. Nennius' British dragon is red, but in the Middle Ages it was found in various variations on the theme of fire (red, fiery, gold). White and green are the colors of the Tudor coat of arms, and under the banner of a red dragon, Henry Tudor performed on a white and green field. However, these colors have been associated with Wales before: the Welsh soldiers of the Black Prince at Crecy (1346) were also dressed in white and green. Anglin, dedicated to Llywelyn the Last (d. 1282) also mentions that his colors were white and green. Owain Glyndŵr rode under the banner of the golden dragon on a white field. In 1807, the red dragon on a green hill on a white field was proclaimed the royal badge of Wales. In 1953, the badge was changed to a red dragon passan on a white and green field, the shield was girded with a ribbon with the motto Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn and topped with a crown. The flag of Wales was proclaimed a royal sign on a white field. In 1959, the flag of Wales took on its current form.

In general, the whole of Great Britain is characterized by its own unique culture, traditions and symbols. The same can be said about the Principality of Wales, because it is an integral part of it. At the same time, one cannot fail to note the fact that the use of dragons in paraphernalia has become very popular throughout the region. The flag of Wales, the photo of which is located below, was no exception.

Image and colors

Currently, the Welsh national symbol is a canvas with horizontal stripes of white and green, on which a red image of a dragon is applied. In a literal translation from the name of the flag, it is translated as “Red Dragon”. Despite the fact that it was officially recognized in 1959, local residents began to use this symbol even during the time of the Roman Empire. Many monarchs were also very impressed with the combination of these colors.

First official mentions

The flag of Wales was first officially mentioned in literature in 1200. This manuscript was the legend "Llydd and Llevelis", which told how Britain was able to get rid of two dragons that fought among themselves all the time. All the inhabitants of the state suffered from this. According to legend, people dug a hole, which they then filled with honey. She lured the dragons, who got drunk and fell asleep, after which they were buried right there. Some time later, they managed to get out, and the fight continued. As a result, he turned out to be stronger and destroyed the white. In the first of them, the Welsh saw royal subjects, and in the second, the Saxons (a people that at that time captured many islands). This was considered a very good omen, which is why the red dragon appeared on the national symbol. However, this is just a legend.

Origin

As of today, there is no officially recognized version of how the flag of Wales appeared. Many Welsh researchers suggest that the scarlet dragon has long symbolized ancient warriors. Despite this, most historians claim that this emblem was brought on at the time of their conquest by the Romans. As for the combination of green and white on the panel, such a combination was first used by the Welsh prince Llewelyn, and later used by the Tudor dynasty.

Historical changes

Throughout its history, the flag of Wales has been partially modified several times. For example, as of 1807, the red dragon on the national symbol was located on a green hill, located on a white field. Over a century later, in 1953, the so-called surroundings were replaced with a field of green and white. A crowned shield and the same dragon were applied to it.

Coat of arms

As of today, there is no officially valid coat of arms in Wales. His role in the country is performed by the royal sign, which is approved at the legislative level. It is used in all local laws and regulations. The sign is made in the form of a shield divided into four fields. Each of them contains images of lions. Two of them are on the red field, and the same number - on the golden one.

Unofficial symbols

As in many other states, not only the coat of arms and the flag of Wales are the national symbols of the country. In addition to them, the people came up with an unofficial sign for themselves here. Leek is considered to be such in the principality. There are two versions of why this particular plant was chosen by the Welsh. According to the first of them, during the protracted wars, the inhabitants of the country attached it to their hats. This made it possible to prevent the killing of comrades-in-arms and gain victories in battles. There is another version. According to her, in times of famine, the Welsh had no choice but to eat this plant. At the same time, many residents of the country noted its excellent nutritional and taste qualities.

Despite this, most Welsh consider the yellow daffodil as their unofficial symbol. The fact is that it begins to bloom on St. David's Day. However, this does not prevent local residents from wearing a leek sprig on their clothes even on this holiday.

Paradox

Throughout the entire period of the development of the country, the flag of Wales (pictures and photos from different eras are a clear confirmation of this) has undergone minor changes. In this case, only the primary colors and the dragon remained untouchable. Such experiments were put to an end in 1959, when the flag was officially recognized. Despite being the only representative of Great Britain whose symbol is absent from the flag of the United Kingdom. This paradox cannot but cause an abundance of criticism and indignation among the inhabitants of the region.

Other flags of Wales

Historical flags

see also

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Notes

Links

• (English)

An excerpt characterizing the Flag of Wales

- Did you enjoy the conversation, Madonna? - Karaffa asked sincerely.
“Thank you, Your Holiness. Yes, of course. Although, I would prefer to raise my daughter myself, as is customary in the normal world, and not give her into the hands of unknown people, just because you have some kind of plan for her. Isn't there enough pain for one family, don't you think?
- Well, it depends on which one, Isidora! Karaffa smiled. – Again, there is “family” and FAMILY... And yours, unfortunately, belongs to the second category... You are too strong and valuable to just live without paying for your opportunities. Remember, my "great Witch", everything in this life has its price, and you have to pay for everything, whether you like it or not ... And you, unfortunately, will have to pay very dearly. But let's not talk about the bad today! You had a wonderful time, didn't you? See you later, madonna. I promise you, she will be very soon.
I froze ... How familiar were these words to me! indeed, it was true that everyone had to pay, but not everyone agreed to it voluntarily ... And sometimes this payment was too expensive ...
Stella stared in surprise at my face, apparently noticing my strange confusion. But I immediately showed her that “everything is in order, everything is fine,” and, silent for a moment, Isidora continued her interrupted story.
Caraffa left, taking away my dear baby. The surrounding world faded, and my devastated heart, drop by drop, slowly filled with black, hopeless longing. The future seemed ominous. There was no hope in him, there was no habitual confidence that, no matter how difficult it is now, but in the end everything will somehow work out, and everything will definitely be fine.

Brief information about the country: Wales

Wales - one of the four main administrative and political parts of Great Britain, in the past a conglomerate of independent Celtic kingdoms.

Wales located in the southwest of the UK.

Capital - Cardiff

State structure

Since Wales is part of the UK, its head is the monarch of the United Kingdom. Legislative power is divided between the London Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales.

"Country of Friends" so the English call the land, which is famous for the abundance of beautiful old churches, vast green valleys and vast desert spaces, on which gloomy mountains are located. The Welsh call this area Cymru, while the British call it Wales. This is the only area in the whole of the UK where signs on shops, offices and government buildings, as well as road signs, are bilingual.

Flag of Wales
The modern flag of Wales is a panel painted in white and green, on which a red dragon is depicted. Although this flag was legally adopted in 1959, the red dragon has been directly associated with Wales since the days of the Roman Empire. Green and white colors have also been associated with Wales since the Middle Ages, because even under the reign of Henry VIII Tudor, all the troops that acted under the auspices of the Welsh were dressed in a green and white uniform.

Coat of arms of Wales

In the Principality of Wales, there is no legislatively approved national coat of arms - its role is played by the royal badge of Wales, which since 2008 has been the official highest heraldic symbol. This peculiar coat of arms is used by the Welsh National Assembly to certify legislative acts. The royal badge of the principality consists of a shield divided into fields, on each of which a lion walks, with blue claws and a tongue; two lions are on golden fields, two on red ones.

Symbol of Wales

The yellow daffodil has been called the flower symbol of Wales since the 19th century, and this happened because the word "cenhinen" can be translated as both narcissus and leek. And since there are a great many yellow daffodils in Wales in spring, that is probably why the daffodil has become another equally beloved and revered symbol of Wales.

Anthem of Wales "Land of my fathers"

Essential facts about Wales

• Wales attracts tourists with the richness and diversity of its nature.
• Along with English, the people of Wales also speak their own Gaelic or Welsh language.
• The Welsh make up about a third of the population of Wales and take care of their language: the press is published in the country, books are printed, TV presenters speak.
• The summer festival of poetry and music "Eisteddfod" is held annually.

The early history of Wales was created by the Celts, who arrived in this territory as early as the 1st century BC. Here was one of the main centers of the druids. Today, the territory of Wales boasts more than 150 monuments of Celtic culture, sacred graves and places of worship from those ancient times.

The Celts never built temples. Rites were held in secret places where large stone circles were built. The Celts have long had a developed economy and technology, they mined iron ore and used tools that are used by modern blacksmiths. The Celts minted their money. The ancient Celtic society was divided into estates: priests, warriors and tillers. The king ruled everything. The property of the king, at the same time, was public property.